Here’s an idea to help you work smarter not harder. Reading time: 3:21

Forget working 12-hour days or more. Try working just 5 minutes a day –with each of your employees—and making more time for you to think, to learn and to lead.

No way, you say. You gotta be kidding me! Well, read on and see for yourself.

The most effective leaders leverage the Friendly Five Minutes strategy to preempt problems and take precautionary measures that ward off at least some of the headaches before they flair into full-fledged migraines.

Highly effective leaders say that if they spend 5 minutes each day FIRST THING with each of their employees, they increase morale, cool smoldering fires and more fully assess the working conditions to better align for every-changing production demands and staffing assignments.

Let’s say you have eight direct reports and you spend 5 minutes with each of them or 40 minutes and let’s say you need 10 minutes to get from workstation to workstation to visit with your next direct report or 80 minutes. Continue reading “Thriving on Your Friendly Five”→

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints GuyHere’s an idea to motivate quality behavior. Reading time 3:57.

You’ve lost another account. Two staffers are threatening to quit. Your boss has painted a target on your back. And you’re forced to listen to some tough love feedback from those around you.

You’re mad and you’re just not going to take it any more. Your response to all that feedback is just two words and the last word is YOU.

Thank You.

“Thank you” is the only appropriate response when people you know and trust offer you a candid assessment of your behaviors—both what you are doing and what you may not be doing—and a candid assessment of how you are perceived by those around you.

No matter how much you disagree. No matter how defensive you feel. Your response is always the same. Thank you.

By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints GuyHere’s an idea to help you cope with added scrutiny as you are promoted. Reading time: 3:13

You’ve reach the C-Suite. You’ve worked hard for this promotion. But something feels awkward.

Filigree

Your once clear and distinct chain of command has morphed into a filigree of complex relationships as former CEO David D’Allesandro writes in his book Executive Warfare.

And now you have to adapt to all of that added scrutiny from the Board to the Stockholders to regulators etc.

Welcome to the C-Suite. Think C for Chameleon more than Corporate.

All leaders no matter at what level learn to adapt to the ever changing working conditions.

They realize flying at this altitude in corporate life they had better be able to sway with the forces in much the same way the wingspan of a 747 jet is designed to sway up and down 29 feet at the tips of the 195 feet wings to cope with the effects of turbulence.

And when you feel alone and isolated on a desert in the C-Suite, you’ll adapt just like the Greasewood—the only plant that drives its roots 40 feet down to find water in Death Valley, the lowest point in US is 252 feet below sea level.

Vandalism had been increasing at the county jail until the new Sheriff came to town. He not only curtailed vandalism by 80 percent the following year but he also taught his staff a valuable lesson in leadership.

How? The Sheriff stopped treating his inmates equally. Instead he started awarding more perks to inmates who were charged with lesser crimes.

The new Sheriff gave them regular smoking breaks. He gave one bald prisoner a baseball cap to help him keep warm. He allowed another to work part time as a mechanic in the the sheriff’s garage. The net result? Continue reading “Respect Curbs Jail Vandalism”→